# Home Blending



## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Did a search that resulted with a few really old threads so I thought I'd restart the topic.

Anyone doing any blending they'd like to share? Not necessarily the recipes (unless you want), but the processes and experiences. I figured I'd give blending a try since I really don't think it's much different that home brewing - get a list of ingredients, study their descriptions, put together complimentary things (along with lots of research and all). The results are either going to be good or bad but it's been fun trying so far.

Among other items, I found the "Blend Your Own Pipe Tobacco - Download the FREE Color Book", which was very helpful. I also found "Homemade Navy Flake Using a Simple C-Clamp Tobacco Press", which I tried on a really small scale earlier and decided to try again. So I made a 100g blend, packed it into a 6" long 2" diameter PVC pipe with coffee filters lining each end, and cranked it down. I'm going to tighten it daily for a week, then keep it under pressure for another week, then jar it for at least a month (if not longer).

Almost as cool as making homemade bacon! Anybody else try this stuff out?


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

@GunnyJ, how do you intend to date-stamp your jars LOL? I believe there was a thread on this topic a while ago. Can't remember who started it. Good luck and keep us posted.


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## Fusion (Apr 5, 2017)

I tried some and still have a few, i used a spaghetti press, worked great, a tip, warm the tobacco in the microwave before pressing, be sure not to overheat it, just needs to be warm


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Piper said:


> @GunnyJ, how do you intend to date-stamp your jars LOL? I believe there was a thread on this topic a while ago. Can't remember who started it. Good luck and keep us posted.


Let's see...I did this yesterday so I figure the current date/time in milliseconds will work...

Labeled as: 1618960249628

I think I'll recommend this to Mac Baren


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

GunnyJ said:


> Let's see...I did this yesterday so I figure the current date/time in milliseconds will work...
> 
> Labeled as: 1618960249628
> 
> I think I'll recommend this to Mac Baren


😂


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

The unveiling was today...after tightening the clamp everyday for a week the tobacco it compressed down to about four inches. It only needs an 8 ounce ball jar for 100g, the same amount kept at ribbon cut takes a 16 ounce jar. Something to think about if you have small cellaring space or are prepping for the next global event...The bottom of the press needs modification so the plug can get pushed out. I had to pull it out which caused it to become like a crumble cake (C & D How We Make Our Crumble Cake Pipe Tobaccos).


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Another blending experiment...two 100g batches sitting in airtight containers. In the middle is an espresso cup, one has rye whisky and vanilla, the other has rum and vanilla (small amounts of vanilla). And the idea is to keep them in there until the liquid has been absorbed/evaporated, then jar them up, and add to cellar.


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## cory1984 (Jul 7, 2012)

@GunnyJ Some neat experiments you have going on there!


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

cory1984 said:


> @GunnyJ Some neat experiments you have going on there!


Thanks. The additional bonus is I get to make up whatever scheme I want to date the jars to keep @Piper guessing! 😁


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

GunnyJ said:


> Thanks. The additional bonus is I get to make up whatever scheme I want to date the jars to keep @Piper guessing! 😁


LOL! Gunny, you've become a mad scientist but, like all true scientists, with excellent documentation!😂


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Good news - Tried blend 1 today (made it on March 8), lo and behold, it's pretty good for a first try! Cornell & Diehl here I come!!! 😂


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

GunnyJ said:


> ...(made it on March 8)...


I mean I made it on 37E189SC4_9628...


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

GunnyJ said:


> I mean I made it on 37E189SC4_9628...


LOL. I sent that to IBM Watson and the NSA to decipher.


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

After 20 days of sitting in a container with some rum and vanilla, batch 11 has been placed into a Ball jar for some more aging. Date stamp: 369caf13-7918-4a5a-99a2-ead85bad5f1f.


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Blend 14: 96g mixed Virginias, 4g perique


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

A new blend was created today...jar (tin) date: 20S3OG0293JA_XW22; blend name: "Who Knows?"

Why "Who Knows?" ? Because I meant to make a 34 gram batch and after I got the Latakia, cigar leaf, red Virginia, and burley on the scale I realized the scale was off balance. After balancing the scale it read 60 grams, so Who Knows how much of each tobacco is in there.

I was going to send a sample of this to G.L. Pease, and because it's _SOOOO _awesome he'd offer me a big, fat blending contract but first he'd ask what the tobacco percentages are and I'd have to say "Who Knows?" and the deal would end right there!


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

LOL! But how does it taste—Who Knows?


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

How does it taste? "... it's _SOOOO _awesome..."!

Yeah, you're right...who knows? I'll try it in a few days and report back.


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

Say hello to Greg.


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

The "Blend Your Own..." book linked above has:

Spanish Moss

Latakia 31.25% (5 of 16 parts)
Oriental 18.75% (3 of 16 parts)
Virginia Bright 18.75% (3 of 16 parts)
Virginia Red 12.5% (2 of 16 parts)
Perique 12.5% (2 of 16 parts)
Dark Air 6.25% (1 of 16 parts)

I made this blend but I swapped the Virginia Bright with Long Cut Virginia (P&C doesn't describe this as a bright) and the Virginia Red with Matured Red Virginia (Sutliff 515-RC). I find this to be a bold, spicy blend and if your go-to blend is Lane-1Q then you may want to approach this with a little caution. I personally enjoy the spicy flavor and aromas.


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

I had a little bit of a cherry vanilla aromatic blend and I put together:

14g long cut Virginia
8g Izmir
5g cigar leaf
3g cherry vanilla

I found this to be a little too aromatic and a little bland for my liking. This may fit the bill for anyone looking for a milder smoke.


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Recently I read the description for Robert McConnell's Scottish blend. The original description (from 1848) has "...with matured red Virginia and Kentucky from North Carolina, black cavendish and Turkish are blended with latakia..." The newer description from Kohlhase & Kopp has "...Black cavendish and bright Virginias are combined with spicy tobaccos such as latakia, Oriental and perique..." Which is how I came up with:

13g black cavendish
11g matured red Virginia
3g latakia
3g Turkish 
2g dark fired Kentucky 
2g perique

The tin note has a noticeable sweet vanilla aroma from the cavendish. I think this blend is mild, creeping a little towards medium, for strength and taste and is smokable at any time of the day (maybe multiple times). I don't consider this completely mild because the spice from the Turkish and perique made themselves known while smoking. I experienced a nice smoke output and minimal relights (I'm guessing the moisture content is pretty good due to this). This little batch was put together three weeks ago.


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

GunnyJ said:


> Recently I read the description for Robert McConnell's Scottish blend. The original description (from 1848) has "...with matured red Virginia and Kentucky from North Carolina, black cavendish and Turkish are blended with latakia..." The newer description from Kohlhase & Kopp has "...Black cavendish and bright Virginias are combined with spicy tobaccos such as latakia, Oriental and perique..." Which is how I came up with:
> 
> 13g black cavendish
> 11g matured red Virginia
> ...


Gunny, how about a picture of you in a white coat holding up your latest invention in front of a lab bench covered with steaming beakers, flasks full of spinning liquids, retort stands, scales and bunsen burners! You are living your best life brother! 

(Oh, I should have added a random number generator for dating the tins.)


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Piper said:


> Gunny, how about a picture of you in a white coat holding up your latest invention in front of a lab bench covered with steaming beakers, flasks full of spinning liquids, retort stands, scales and bunsen burners! You are living your best life brother!
> 
> (Oh, I should have added a random number generator for dating the tins.)


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Piper said:


> LOL! But how does it taste—Who Knows?


Actually it wasn't bad...tried it this morning. Noticed the latakia from the start. Good smoke output, minimal tongue bite, I didn't really notice a nice hit. I'm just thankful it's not a jar of donkey s**t that would serve the world best by throwing it away.


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

New batch...I read somewhere (maybe the C&D web site...Who Knows?) that C&D Byzantium is1/3 each latakia, perique, and orientals with the orientals being evenly divided between Izmir and Basma (which I don't have so I used Smyrna). After blending the tobaccos, I spread them on a cookie sheet, misted with distilled water, and warmed at 170F for 15 minutes. Then it was all put into the press and the waiting begins.

33g / 11g Latakia
33g / 11g Perique
17g / 6g Izmir
17g / 6g Smyrna


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## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

Really curious as to how this turns out.


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

There is a blend called Christmas 2018 in the "Blend Your Own Pipe Tobacco" book referenced in the first post. That was the second blend I put together and even pressed it (on 06TL29.01W...more commonly known as March 13, 2021). Tried it for the first time today. I hope some of the blends I came up with since then are as good as this one. It is very well balanced, virtually zero tongue bite. The flavors and aromas of the different tobaccos worked well together, there wasn't really a dominant one. Good even burn that required a few relights, nothing over the top. I normally don't smoke in my truck with the windows up but today was different...this stuff just smelled really good. This was a good smoke to take a drive with.

(March & Today)


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

Beautiful! It looks like the blend has darkened with age. Smoking your own private blend and prepping it in your own handmade pipe tray—must be a kick! When are you going to start making your own pipes, @*GunnyJ? *


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Piper said:


> Beautiful! It looks like the blend has darkened with age. Smoking your own private blend and prepping it in your own handmade pipe tray—must be a kick! When are you going to start making your own pipes, @*GunnyJ? *


I have three hobby blocks waiting for me to get over the fear of completely ruining them on my first pipe attempts.


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

GunnyJ said:


> I have three hobby blocks waiting for me to get over the fear of completely ruining them on my first pipe attempts.


I knew it! Give it a try. I'm sure it will turn out well. 👍


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Happy Saturday...the latest two blends have been released from the press and are now in the cellar. Blends 23 (on left) and 24 (on right), blend 24 is the recreation of C&D Byzantium from a few posts up.


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

Is there a next step where you rub it out and jar it again—or do you just pull off a chunk and rub it out before smoking?


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Piper said:


> Is there a next step where you rub it out and jar it again—or do you just pull off a chunk and rub it out before smoking?


Should I rub it out and re-jar it? I figured on just taking a chunk off and smoking it. But if rubbing and re-jarring it will make an improvement I'll try it.


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## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

Either way shouldn't make a difference. Myself, I leave it as is until I need a little to smoke.


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Two new blends have been made - an English and a VaPer.

English:
35g matured red Virginia (Sutliff 515 RC) 
35g latakia (Stokkebye 310)
15g Oriental (Stokkebye 313)
10g stoved black Virginia (Sutliff 507 S)
5g Perique (Sutliff TS 20)

VaPer:
70g matured red Virginia (Sutliff 515 RC) 
22g stoved black Virginia (Sutliff 507 S)
8g Perique (Sutliff TS 20)

I made each in 1/3 amounts to try in a few months as the larger amounts age. 

Disclaimer: I didn't create these blends, I saw them on some forum (can't remember where now) where some guy was talking about how the closest tobacco to McClelland #5100 is considered to be Sutliff Matured Red Virginia 515 RC-1 and Sutliff Stoved Black Virginia 507-S is for McClelland #5105. I've never had a McClelland tobacco so I can't speak to the truth of this. Anyone have thoughts about this substitution?


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

I can't answer your question about the reference blends or their substitutes. But since you have creative license to mix leaf from different suppliers, like Sutliff and Stokkebye, you could very possibly come up with something superior .


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Removed the VaPer made on Stardate 75262.9 from the press, jarred it up, and transported it to Cargo Bay 4 (the cellar).


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

Very impressive Gunny. The tobacco looks scrumptious. Beam me up!


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Thanks Piper. From what I've read, this is the best way to make blends with granulated perique in them so it won't separate. Not sure if I'll get more of that or not...


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Blend 31 created 2 weeks ago and put into the press. Removed and jarred it up to put in the cellar. I didn't crank down the press too hard on this one so it came out more like a cake than a plug. The inspiration for this is C&D's Chenet's Cake with its "...huge amount (35%) of Perique...". They also say to let Chenet's Cake age 10 to 15 years so it'll be awhile before this gets smoked.


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

OK gang, I have 1 ounce samples of blends 1, 3 - 6, 9, 10, 12 - 14, 17 - 24, and 26 - 31. All made last year. Which should get tried first?


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## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

Start at the beginning and end at the end.


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

Hmmm.... You could go in order from oldest to youngest. You could go from mildest taste to strongest. You could do everything in the same genre together. Or you could buy a lottery ticket and use the numbers to create a random sequence.


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

And today's choice was blend #6, a VaPer that's 25% Perique. I thought the Perique might be a bit much but it wasn't. Every once in a while I'd get a hit of spice but for the most part this blend was slightly sweet with mild fruit notes. I don't have a lot of experience with commercial VaPers so I really can't compare it to anything...yet. It didn't have a wow factor but I thought it was an enjoyable bowl. Based on everything I've read I'm expecting this to get better in a few more years.


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Today I threw together a blend that is basically 6 parts cigar leaf, 2.5 parts cavendish, and 1.5 parts stoved black Virginia. The aroma after mixed is fantastic, I have high hopes for this one.


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

GunnyJ said:


> Today I threw together a blend that is basically 6 parts cigar leaf, 2.5 parts cavendish, and 1.5 parts stoved black Virginia. The aroma after mixed is fantastic, I have high hopes for this one.


Will you be allowed to smoke it indoors?


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

LOL...no, only inside the garage. But that's a self imposed restriction.


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Yesterday I tried blend 17, mostly dark fired Kentucky and Virginias with some oriental, cigar leaf and perique. I caught a little spice every once in a while and it was a little stronger than I was expecting. Honestly, I just blindly grabbed the jar to try without referring to what was in the blend. It was enjoyable, so that's a good thing.


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

Congrats @GunnyJ ! What does the DFK add to the mix? Some of my favorite blends have DFK.


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

@Piper, I created this blend because Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky is no longer in production and Peter Heinrichs Dark Strong Flake is hard to get. They have in their descriptions:

Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky - flakes with layers of dark-fired on the top and bottom with a core of bright Virginia. 
Peter Heinrichs Dark Strong Flake - a matured, pressed mixture of golden, sweet Virginias with bold and spicy dark-fired Kentucky. 
Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fired - an excellent selection of fine Virginias is wed to robust and spicy dark-fired Burleys. (Added here for good measure)

I read that (in general) Perique, DFK, and cigar leaf are at the alkaline end of the pH scale, Orientals are in the middle, and Virginias are on the acidic end. In an attempt to keep this blend balanced it was made as:
29g DFK, 6g Perique, 6g cigar leaf - The Perique adding its spice to the DFK and the cigar leaf adding smokiness, body, and strength.
26g red Virginia and 15g yellow Virginia - These were the Virginias I had on hand.
18g Orientals - Added for balance and flavor.

Descriptions of DFK contain "Smoky, less woodsy, earthier, and more subtle than Latakia. High nicotine content, burns well with good body." All of this was present in the blend. 

I will add that I'm not attempting to clone any specific blend but rather use their descriptions to create something in that style/genre.


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

I don't taste DFK as latakia light. I taste it more like cavendish or even perique that brings out the sweetness in virginias. Interesting that it also balances the acidity of virginias. There is a lot that goes into blending. Blenders are like the chefs at high-end restaurants, creating new dishes and unique twists on old ones. 👍


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

I don't think of DFK as Latakia light either. But I think if you have a blend that's 30% Latakia you're really going to know it because it's so distinctive whereas the DFK isn't so "here I am in your face". I definitely think the small amount of Perique in this blend added to the DFK spice.


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Had a bowl of Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fired today to see how blend 17 compares. Mac Baren's has a slightly deeper, fuller, but less spicy profile to it. I wonder if I could achieve that by lowering the Orientals and upping the DFK...


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## GunnyJ (Jun 22, 2018)

Tried blend 26 today - the amounts of DFK, Virginia's and Perique were close to blend 17 but this one has black cavendish and latakia instead of Orientals and cigar leaf. This blend produced a little tongue bite and just wasn't as good as blend 17. Nothing really stood out to make this blend memorable.


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## deathmetal (Jul 21, 2015)

GunnyJ said:


> Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky - flakes with layers of dark-fired on the top and bottom with a core of bright Virginia.


Try the _HH Bold Kentucky_. A home blend works great too but I would loosely press the bright Virginias first, then rub them out and let them age, to let some of the sugars ferment. I also sometimes cook these a bit in the pressure cooker to caramelize the sugars and reduce that bite.


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